In this interview with journalist Frederick Noronha, our membership and network building coordinator Karel Novotný takes us on a journey through the APC network's past and present, and gives us some hints on what's ahead.

APC, the Information Society Division of the African Union Commission and Research ICT Africa are accepting applications for this year's edition of AfriSIG, which will be held immediately prior to and linked to the African Internet Governance Forum. The deadline for applications is 1 June.

This project will contribute to an enabling ecosystem for the emergence and growth of community networks and other community-based connectivity initiatives in developing countries. It is part of a multi-year, multi-donor strategy envisaged to address the human capacity and sustainability challenges, along with the policy and regulatory obstacles, that limit the growth of community-based connectivity initiatives.

This project seeks to protect and promote respect for freedom of religion and expression on the internet, particularly by countering hate speech online on the basis of religion, and generating narratives and discourse that defend secular and diverse opinions touching upon religion. The three-year project focuses on five countries in South and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan.

The Feminist Internet Research Network is a three-and-a-half-year collaborative and multidisciplinary research project led by APC, funded by the International Development Research Centre. The project draws on the study “Mapping research in gender and digital technology”, and the Feminist Principles of the Internet collectively crafted by feminists and activists, primarily located in the global South.

This project aims to address the following questions: Are local access infrastructure models a viable alternative to connecting the unconnected, and if so, what are the circumstances that make them successful? What are the benefits to the local community in terms of well-being, gender equity and social or economic development where connectivity infrastructure is locally owned?

TikTok is a wildly popular short video platform and has led to myriad forms of creative and playful expressions. This piece explores videos from Sri Lanka in relation to heteronormativity, gender, and how the boundaries between the personal and public are blurred.

Over 200 delegates from across Africa and the world attended the 2019 edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum hosted by Paradigm Initiative in Lagos, Nigeria, where sessions focused on securing human rights in the digital age and expanding digital access to marginalised populations.

The Call is a collaboration with the French government and a global call to a meeting in Paris on 15 May, which seeks to "bring together countries and tech companies in an attempt to bring to an end the ability to use social media to organise and promote terrorism and violent extremism."

Columns

David Souter writes a column for APC twice a month, looking at different aspects of the information society, development and rights. David’s pieces take a fresh look at many of the issues that concern APC and its members, with the aim of provoking discussion and debate. Issues covered include internet governance and sustainable development, human rights and the environment, policy, practice and the use of ICTs by individuals and communities.

What were information and communication technologies like in the 1980s and 1990s? What are the stories of the genesis and evolution of non-profit computer networks working for social change? Twice a month, this section will take a historical look at the APC community's journey of internet activism and make links to where we are now. Join Jennifer Radloff in this retrospective trip exploring the connections between the past and the present.

The undersigned organisations have expressed their very explicit concerns about the fundamental and human rights questions that will appear in the implementation of the obligations laid down on online content-sharing service providers by Article 17 of the new EU Copyright Directive.

APC stands in solidarity with Dr. Wairagala Wakabi, Executive Director of the Uganda-based Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), who was detained and finally deported upon arrival at the International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media launched its annual report on Palestinian digital rights. The report details violations by governments, authorities, international technology companies and Palestinian society.

The report touches upon various issues including violent and regulatory actions against the media, online censorship, the right to information regime, disinformation, internet disconnections, data protection, and legislative developments related to cyberspace.

APC joined African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) members and other organisations that work to promote freedom of expression offline and online across the globe to express deep concern about the shutdown of social media platforms by the government of Chad over the past 11 months.

As negotiations at the Human Rights Council enter their final phase, APC and over 150 other civil society organisations join ISHR's call on all states and civil society to use the remaining days to work towards the adoption of a strong resolution on environmental human rights defenders.

APC echoes the deep alarm expressed by the Secretary-General at the opening of this session over the shrinking of civic space online. We highlight the disturbing trend of internet shutdowns, which in violation of international law, restrict a range of rights and harm communities.